India Discovery Chest Artifact Description Cards QUICK INDIA FACTS! • India is the seventh-largest country by geographical area. • India's population is over 1.17 billion, representing 17% of the world's population. • India is a country in South Asia that is comprised of 28 states and seven union territories. • Hindi is the official language and either Indo-Aryan or Dravidian is mostly spoken by Indian people. • Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad are the largest cities in India. • Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is India’s largest city with 14 million inhabitants. • Hinduism is the dominant religion, while Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are also popular. • The national currency is the Indian Rupee and it is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. • The Indian caste system is a strict hierarchy among social and economic classes and hereditary groups Hindi Alphabet Chart What is this? • Modern Hindi is written in Devanagari script, which is made of two Sanskrit words: Deva, meaning “God” and Nagari, meaning “of urban origin.” What is its significance? • Devanagari has its origin in Brahmi script. Writings in Brahmi script from across the Indian subcontinent date back to the 5th century BC. More than ten Indian languages have evolved from Brahmi. India 1A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Hindi Alphabet Guide What is this? • An explanatory guide to the Hindi alphabet. What is its significance? • Allows people to understand the alphabet in a less traditional, more comprehensive way. India 2A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Sandalwood Incense What is this? • A fragrant wood which originates from India and Australia, with an essential oil that has a bright, fresh smell with a wooden base note. It is used in religious ceremonies. What is its significance? • In Hinduism, sandalwood was ground into an incense paste and burnt both as an offering to deities and to cleanse the air and atmosphere to felicitate a meditative atmosphere. India 3A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Brass Incense Burner Who would have used this item? • Monks, medicinal priests. What is this? • A brass instrument used for burning forms of fruits, roots, stems and branches, flowers, and leaves. Initially, it was used to mask odors and create pleasurable smells. Incense has also been used for medicinal purposes and for gracing religious rituals for thousands of years, as early as 5000 BC. What is its significance? • Indian incense takes pride in being held as the first organized and uniform system of incense making the world over. India 4A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Brass Container What is this? • A vessel for storage or decoration. The brass is a yellow colored alloy of copper and zinc. An alloy is a combination of two or more metals that imparts greater strength to the mixed metal. Brass production in the Indian subcontinent is dated back to the first century BC. What is its significance? • The unique properties of brass resulted in production of many technical instruments like clocks, watches, chronometers, and navigational tools. India 5A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Peepal Leaf Painting Who would have used this item? • Artists. What is this? • A delicate work of art which originated in the southern India. It is one of the oldest forms of art. Typically, oil paints are applied to the leaf and dried completely. The leaf is then mounted on colored paper and framed for display. What is its significance? • More than 2000 Years ago, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was sitting under a tree of Peepal Leaves when he became enlightened. Ever since then, the Peepal has been also known as Bodhi tree. Peepal leaves have been used for writing in India even before the invention of paper. India 6A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Glass Bangles Who would have used this item? • Mainly married women, but also toddlers, men, anyone. What is this? • Bracelets made of metal, jade, plastic, wood, sea shells, lac, and glass. Bangles can have very intricate designs, and more expensive bangles might have precious stones inlayed, or perhaps intricate carvings. Most bangles are solid circles, but some metal bangles have a break in them so that they can be put on wrists easier. What is its significance? • The wearing of bangles has been traced back as far as 2600 BC, in an excavation at Mohenjo-daro. • These bangles are important during Indian weddings, because a bride must wear as many small glass bangles as she can on her wedding day. It is said that the honeymoon ends when all the bangles have broken. They are very well known for the jingling sound made when a woman moves her arms, especially during dances. India 7A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Tika Containers What is this? • Hand carved Tikka boxes were traditionally used to store the powder for tilaka, a Hindu mark worn on the forehead in line with the nose and just above the brow line, among other parts of the body. The powders are vermilion, turmeric, or red sandal paste. What is its significance? • The spot in the center of the forehead is the location of the “third eye,” as well as the location of ajna chakra, or energy. It is said to help one reach “self-realization.” India 8A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Tusli Kanthi Mala Who would have used this item? • It is used by followers of Vaishnavism, as the Tulsi is an important plant to the Hindu god Krishna. What is this? • A religious necklace worn around the neck of Hindus as an indication of their faith. Kanthi must be worn at the level of the heart, where the gods are believed to reside within each person. What is its significance? • It is a very important religious item and is rarely taken off. Vaishnava Hindus are not supposed to wear their Kanthi Malas unless they follow the principles of vaishnavism: no eating meat, no gambling, no intoxicant substances, etc. India 9A, ARTICLES OF EVERYDAY USE Shiva & Parvati on a Bull What is this? • A wood carving used to tell the story of when Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, were travelling with their vehicle—the Bull. The Lord had taken the form of an old man while Parvati remained young and beautiful. On their journey, the couple were met with criticism from every village no matter who was walking the bull and who was riding it. What is its significance? • The story is meant to teach that even if we perform a good deed not everyone will like and support it. Shiva said, ''Come let us do what we think is right, and live the way we want to. The world will never appreciate or see what we do as correct.'' India 1B, CRAFTS Kashmir Wedding Doll—Bride Who would have used this item? • Brides. What is this? • This doll represents a traditional Indian bride from Kashmiri in the far North of India. What is its significance? • Indian weddings are still often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom through family connections and advertisements that highlight the good qualities of the prospective mates. There are many different kinds of wedding rituals for different Indian ethnical groups. India 2B, CRAFTS Etched Brass Vase What is this? • A decorative vase. What is its significance? • Etched on the vase is usually a peacock. The peacock is the national bird of India. Right before the monsoon season begins, which is usually July thought September, peacock calls are heard because it is their mating season. The peacock’s shrill calls, translate to "minh-ao,” has come to mean, literally, "there will be rain.” Indian folklore is that these peacock calls are heralding the start of the monsoon, which floods India’s rivers with some of the heaviest rainfall in the world. India 3B, CRAFTS Wooden Peacock Who would have used this item? • Anyone. What is this? • A painted wooden sculpture used as decoration. What is its significance? • The national bird of India is the peacock. It symbolizes grace, pride, and beauty. In Hinduism, the peacock is associated with Lakshmi who represents patience, kindness, and luck. India 4B, CRAFTS Kashmir Wedding Doll—Groom Who would have used this item? • Grooms. What is this? These dolls represent a traditional Indian bride and groom from Kashmiri in the far North of India. Indian weddings are still often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom through family connections and advertisements that highlight the good qualities of the prospective mates. There are many different kinds of wedding rituals for different Indian ethnical groups. What is its significance? • Same as bride version. India 5B, CRAFTS Patachitra / Pottachitra Painting What is this? • Patachitra painting is one of the most traditional forms of Indian art, originating in Orrisa. These paintings can date as far back as 700 CE. What makes these paintings distinct is the cloth canvas and the intricate borders. Most are very colorful, but others, such as the example found in the chest, are black and white. • The cloth that is used is made through a very delicate process. First it is bonded with gum from tamarind seeds, then it is dried in the sun, and last it is burnished with stones on both sides. The paintings themselves are done with crude brushed made out of animal hairs. What is its significance? • The Patachitra painting available in your chest portrays various aspects of traditional Indian life, including an elephant, some traditional tools and containers, and a domesticated horse. India 7B, CRAFTS Rajasthan Puppet Who would have used this item? • Entertainers. What is this? • Traditional marionettes, which are made of wood, cloth, and wire. They are a source of entertainment, but have been used for hundreds of years as a form of education regarding social issues, such as the dowry system or illiteracy.